Book review: The Art of How to Train Your Dragon

The Art of How to Train Your Dragon

Behind-the-scenes story ( sketches )

Hiccup and toothless from How to Train Your Dragon.

Date Published: 2010-05-26

List Price: $40.00
Price: $26.40

Summary:

The 3D art book how to train your dragon shows the story from one of the latest animation movies released by DreamWorks in 350 magnificent images. The story is based on the popular children’s book with the same name written by Cressida Conwell. How to Train Your Dragon follows to story of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, a Viking teenager. Hiccup is the son of the chief of a small Viking tribe on the island of Berk in the Northern Sea. He desires to make his father proud and be a mighty Viking, but he has not been able to do so until now. He hopes that dragon training will help him succeed and prove that he is worthy of being the son of the chief. But, his entire world turns when he befriends an injured dragon, the creature which is considered the most feared enemy by the Vikings.

Gobber & Stoick from How to Train Your Dragon

The art of the book

The book presents exactly how the team from DreamWorks was able to bring Cressida Cowell’s book to life and turn it into an animated movie. The design of the book is really alluring and it brings out the entire creational process in more than 350 pictures of artwork. These include story sketches, character design and concept paintings which have not been released before to the public. By reading the book you will discover how the mythical world was created and how the Vikings and Dragons have been brought to life.

Hiccup and Astrid from How to Train Your Dragon Stoick against Monstrous Nightmare from How to Train Your Dragon Vikings from How to Train Your Dragon

Shots from the movie "How to train your dragon" click on the pictures to enlarge

I have first seen the book on the shelf of a local bookstore a couple of months prior to the official release date. I took it out of the shelf and started flipping the pages. The graphics done have the unique style of Nicolas Marlet and the entire book is under his influence. I looked at the cover again and saw that Tracy Miller – Zarneke is the author of the movie. These names instantly made me think about the graphics of Kung Fu Panda where these illustrious names have worked before. And just to top it, the directors for the movie are Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois.

Sketches of Viking from How to Train Your Dragon

The book itself is a masterpiece of 3D art design graphics and it offers a real treat to those who enjoy reading in the domain. It includes the development artwork, the concept paintings, the story sketches and even the early character designs so that you can get the entire picture of how the story and the movie came to be.

The book is structured into three parts: the Vikings, the Dragons and the environment (which includes also the design of the Viking village). You will also find different environment scenarios or characters which have been discarded during the creation of the movie at some point, for different reasons. An example would be Hiccup’s mother, who can cook one of the best dragon meat dishes. And to give the book a more pleasant feeling, most of the graphic designs are accompanied by quotes and commentaries from the production staff.

The graphic art from How to Train Your Dragon has the mark of well renowned 3D graphic artists, as I have said before. The character design has been done by Nicolas Marlet and Simon Otto. They are the ones responsible for bringing to life the Vikings and the Dragons in this story. From the two, most of the designs are done by Nicolas Marlet, who brought the comical edge to the features of the characters in the story.

The colors in the digital paintings are the sign of Zhaoping Wei and the environment paintings are done by the art director Pierre-Oliver Vincent. The scenery really shows the talent of Pierre Vincent. He creates a wild and pristine environment where you might like to wonder for days if not for the fear of falling into an abyss.

You will also find in the book a couple of illustrations done by Dominique Louis, the illustrator who did the pastel concept art for Pixar. You will be glad to see his touches in the movie.

The design of most of the things in the movie, such as the houses, boats, weapons, statues and other props are done by Mel Zwyer and Kirsten Kawamura.

As you have seen, this is a fantastic 3d animation book which shows the creative capabilities of the producers of How to Train Your Dragon. I recommend that you at least look through it if given a change. It’s pure delight.